Thursday, 2 January 2014

Early May saw us in the Cairngorms, the weather prospects did not look good, with high winds and sleet forecast on the tops. The first morning dawned cold, wet and windy. Not being prepared to spend the day following a compass bearing in unpleasant conditions, we decided on low level walk to Ryvoen Bothy.It turned out to be a good choice, we took an early lunch in the spotlessly clean bothy, then spent a pleasant afternoon ambling along the track towards Nethy Bridge. The weather continued to be stormy so the next couple of days were spent biking in Glen Feshie, hoping that the weather would improve.After what was to be the final outing of the trip, we returned to the hut feeling somewhat down hearted, our visit to Ruigh Aiteachain Bothy had been cut short by a rising Allt Garbhlach. But all was not lost! We entered the hut to find that good weather was forecast for the next day good, and our trusty meet leader had managed to extend our stay by one more night, which meant that at long last we might be able to visit the tops and get a view.And what a day it was!Sgor Gaoith was our objective, its been on my peaks to do list for years, but I had determined that I would only climb it on a clear day, and today hopefully was the day.Blue sky over Glen Feshie. The start of the path to Carn Ban Mor.The path crossed a steep snow slope where a fall would have meant a slide of hundreds of feet. .Having decided it wasn’t worth carrying our ice axes we had to take the safe but steep grassy slopes to the left of the track, these eventually spat us out near the summit of Carn Ban Mor to be greeted with this fabulous view.Braeriach, Sgor an Lochain Uagaine (Angels Peak) and Cairn Toul.Sgor Gaoith in the distance.Loch Einich, Monach Mor and Beinn Bhrotain.After a leisurely lunch on the summit soaking up the view in warm sunshine, we retraced our route back to the car. It had been one of those special days, well worth waiting for.